Clinical Patterns of Osteomyelitis Due to Gram-Negative Bacteria

Sixteen patients with osteomyelitis due to gram-negative bacteria were treated during a two-year period, representing 28% of all cases of osteomyelitis. Nine patients had underlying diseases which increased their susceptibility to infection. Salmonella typhimurium was the infecting organism in two patients from this group. Puncture wounds of the foot were complicated by osteomyelitis due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa in two patients and a cat bite led to infection with Pasteurella multocida in another patient. A breach of the skin or bone surgery and early development of draining wounds during the course of the infection were common clinical features in this series of patients. Eight patients were cured of their infection, seven were treatment failures, and one was lost to follow-up.